Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
March 2016 - July 2018
Miracles might occur in various forms. Their perception depends on the point of view. Sometimes they seem quite ordinary; others seem supernatural and disturbing at the same time. A miracle, in its definition, has no rational explanation. And what escapes reason is difficult to grasp.
Therefore, miracles can result from ignorance. Science rationalizes the world, explaining as much as it is possible. However, not everyone is a scientist. The vast majority of society uses merely extracts of knowledge to understand the world, which results in a distortion of information. Due to this superficial processing, it does not take a rocket scientist to surprise someone with a miracle.
It is commonly assumed that a miracle is something positive, but is it sure? Why are people afraid of in vitro or GMO? There must be something wondrous about them.
The Last Supper project juxtaposes the different meanings of a miracle.
Yeasts genetically modified with the use of my gene served to produce beer and bread, which had been served during a symbolic supper (13.07.2018). The association with a well-known miracle is deliberate. It is a reference to one of the most common motifs in the history of art, the Biblical event in Christian tradition and
The Last Supper mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci. However, in this case it is a miracle in a rather mundane sense.
Will the food produced by the organisms that have acquired my gene have anything to do with me? Is GMO really an unacceptable miracle?
The laboratory in which the project was carried out is specializing in evolutionary changes of mitochondrial DNA in yeast. It is headed by Prof. Paweł Golik (Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw).
Chief Scientific Collaborator:
Jakub Piątkowski, PhD.
Due to the lack of official consent of the Chief Sanitary Inspector for the bring the GMO product outside the laboratory, the supper had to take place at the Institute.
Places of presentation:
Beyond borders. Processed body - expanded brain - distributed agency, CSW Łaźnia, Gdańsk (2019)
